


Into The Acid

by SimplyEssa



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Acid, Angst, Burning, Cuddling, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Heavy Angst, Hunk (Voltron) is so Pure, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Whump, the heith is only implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-28 10:05:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16239404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SimplyEssa/pseuds/SimplyEssa
Summary: Drip, drop, eighty-seven, drip, drop, eighty-eight, drip, drop, ninety, drip, drop, ninety-one, ninety-two, drip, drop, ninety--"Keith?"Drip, drop, ninety-five, drip, drop, ninety-six, drip, drop, ninety-seven--"Buddy, look at me? You're gonna be just fine. Hunk and I are gonna get you out in no time."Drip, drop, ninety-eight--Agony bursts across his shoulders, neck, his upper body as something shakes him, and shakes him hard."Keep lifting, Hunk! He's almost out!"





	Into The Acid

**Author's Note:**

> started out with writers block, thats why its literally just. drip drop. ugbsindojgpsdgbsing <3

Drip, drop, eighty-seven, drip, drop, eighty-eight, drip, drop, ninety, drip, drop, ninety-one, ninety-two, drip, drop, ninety--

"Keith?"

Drip, drop, ninety-five, drip, drop, ninety-six, drip, drop, ninety-seven--

"Buddy, look at me? You're gonna be just fine. Hunk and I are gonna get you out in no time."

Drip, drop, ninety-eight--

Agony bursts across his shoulders, neck, his upper body as something  _shakes him_ , and shakes him  _hard._

"Keep lifting, Hunk! He's almost out!"

"But he's--"

"I  _know!_ Just-- ignore it, okay? Ignore him, or you're gonna freak out and drop the-- Hunk!"

"I'm sorry, he's, just--"

"He's gonna be fine, unless you drop that stone!"

"Right, right..."

Hunk... that names sounds familiar.

"Hey, buddy, you with us?"

A frown tugs at his lips, but the slight movement sends waves of agony through him and, vaguely, he hears screaming, which hurts so, so much more.

"Hunk--"

"Going as fast as I--"

A fuzziness settles into his bones and unconsciousness swoops in and saves him from the pain.

* * *

There's a flash of bright lights that burn painfully into his -- presumably -- closed eyelids before it's dark again; dark and cold and pain and  _pain_ \--

"Hey, Keith, you're okay, you're-- everything's okay!"

Frowning, he tries to force sticky, heavy eyelids apart, but they stay there with... a slight itch. They feel glued together, in a way, as he desperately tries to pry them open, to see the bright Castle lights and the rest of the body to whoever is holding him (he thinks;  _wishes_ for it to be Hunk, but he's not all that certain).

"No-- don't try to open your eyes just yet. They're still healing."

Still healing? Still healing from  _what?_

"Let's get you to bed, yeah?" The voice finally clicks in his brain and it's  _Hunk_ , just like he had hoped. Hunk's arms are stable and steady around him as he feels himself take a step, wobble slightly, and keep going. The warmth from his body heat filters into his chilled body-- why was he cold? -- as they begin a slow trek to what he assumes is his room.

He doubts they're even out of the... where are they?

"Do you remember anything, Keith?" Hunk asks, voice gentle and soft and... wrong. No one has ever used that tone with him before. They take another slow, cautious step when there's a swoosh like noise, and a blast of cold air. Hunk is as warm as ever; the only thing keeping him from shivering, maybe even freezing to death.

"Why... why wouldn't I?" he asks, voice surprisingly rough and grating against his throat, making it sting. It's a tolerable sting, though, unlike when he had been assaulted with bright lights, just a few minutes ago. "Did I h-hit my head and get amnesia, or something?"

"What? No! Why would you have amnesia?" Keith opens his mouth to answer the question with something very... passive aggressive, he supposes, but Hunk begins to ramble with wild arm movements. The wind from them adds onto the chill to his skin and he's desperate for the arm back, though he's glad one remained around his lower back. "Oh, no, unless the acid melted through your skull and got into your brain, and-- Shiro!"

"Hunk, calm down," he says, exhaustion seeping into his muscles, into his voice. He doubts... acid, would be able to give him amnesia,  _and_ , he remembers a lot. The only thing he doesn't remember, however, is why  _there was acid on his skin,_ and  _when_. "I don't think acid could give me amnesia."

He can feel Hunk's worried glance burn into his skull as he's pushed another step along, gently. "I hope not."

"Why are you bringing up  _acid_ , of all things, anyways?" He finds himself asking before he can process it. It's a dumb question, and he feels like he should know the answer easily, but it won't add up in his head. He hasn't been around acid since they left Earth, and even then, the acid was  _vinegar._  

"Guess you don't remember, then," Hunk says, beneath his breath, as if he hadn't wanted Keith to hear it.

Fortunately, Keith has always had beyond average hearing.

"Should I remember?" he asks, lifting his head up to where he hopes Hunk is. Opening his eyes is still a war he isn't able to win.

"Maybe," Hunk hums.

They don't talk for the rest of the walk back.

* * *

A wet fabric being draped across his eyes startles him awake.

His reflexes don't kick in very much, and though he's not sure why, he thinks it may have something to do with the fact that he knows it's Hunk. He can hear Hunk quietly humming a song he can't quite remember the name of.

"What're... what're you doin'?" he asks, voice uncharacteristically heavy as the words slur together.

The fabric shifts downwards, dragging cool water down his cheek (oh, that feels nice) and allowing a flash of bright light beneath his closed eyelids. They leave an itchy feeling behind when they won't open. He hears a quiet, relived sounding laugh and the wet rag is dragged back up, blocking the light again.

"Sorry, dude," he hears Hunk say, followed by warm fingertips against his temple. "You scared me."

"Sorry."

"Oh, don't be sorry!" Hunk says quickly, voice much higher pitch than it had been before. The warm hands are removed from his temple, and Keith almost reaches out to catch them. He feels like he would've if there wasn't a blanket in the way-- or, if it's not a blanket, a heavy layer of fabric. "It was my fault! I get scared really easily, and I should've been able to tell that you woke up."

"That's not your fault," his voice trickles off into a yawn as he speaks and he sighs, relaxing against the bed. "Why's... Why's there a rag on m'... my he-- no, eyes."

"Coran said the cold water should help with the burns."

"What burns?" he asks, a frown pulling at his lips. He feels his eyelids begin to try and peel open, but fuck, it stings beyond all hell. With a ragged breath, he stops, opting to watch the darkness and listen to Hunk's comforting voice; the feel of his hands on his exposed shoulders from where he's pulling what he assumes is a blanket up to his chin. "Was there a fire?"

"No," Hunk says, voice soft. The hands on his shoulders disappear before one reappears on his forehead, smoothing back hair. Something creaks faintly, and he hopes Hunk is sitting down. Hunk stands a lot when he cooks.

Why does he know that?

"Ready for a little bed time story?" Hunk asks, his voice completely serious before he laughs a small, cute laugh. Hunk is cute.

"Sure," he answers, shrugging as much as he can.

"Our last mission," Hunk starts, clearing his throat. The hand on his forehead stills but stays, something Keith couldn't be more grateful for, "there was this big dude that you were fighting. He was, like, eight feet tall, I swear, and had five arms? One was sticking out of his head, if that helps any," It doesn't help him at all, but it does drag a tired laugh from his lips, "and each one had a sword, that was, like, covered in this acid. I have no idea how you took him on for so long with that many cuts. Lance got cornered in that room where he was sniping, and I couldn't get through the crowd of... henchmen things. When I managed to get to you, that dude was about to kill you, and tehre was a lot of screaming and acid... kind of, dripping on your eyes?

"You were really lucky that your eyes were closed, and that Lance is such a good shot. He managed to bring a pillar down on the guy, and... kill him, but it got your legs, too."

A soft breath escaped Keith.

"Am... am I blind?" he asks, voice small and quiet in the small room. He doesn't think he's blind, but... what if he is? What would he do then? There aren't any pilots that are  _blind._

"No, no, oh my gosh," Hunk lets out a hysteric laugh, it sounds like, and begins smoothing back his hair once again. He melts into the touch, forcing himself to breathe deeply. "Coran did some... I don't know,  _something_ , and you were put into a pod, like, ten minutes later. You should be ready to go in about a week, but your eyes need time to, like, heal, I guess. Coran said your body needs rest, too."

A soft, "oh," escapes him and he nods slowly, tilting his head so he can face what he hopes is Hunk's direction.

"I remember counting droplets of something," he mumbles softly, "Do you know what?"

"You might've been crying tears," Hunk suggests. "Lance and I were both crying, but Lance was... more subtle about it, I guess."

Keith hums in response.

They stay like that for a while, Hunk smoothing Keith's hair back while Keith lays there, forcing himself away from the brink of sleep every time he approaches it. It's relaxing, to say the least, except for when he forces himself awake, and... he hopes Hunk finds it relaxing, too.

"Hey, Keith?" Hunk asks, sounding nervous. Why would Hunk be nervous?

"Yeah?"

"Do you mind if I, uh..." Hunk's swallow is audible and he fights the tired, amused smile that tries to break free, if only to save Hunk from the embarrassment. "Can I hug you, and, like, lay down with you?"

"Uh..." Keith's brows furrow together. Does he mean cuddling? Is he asking Keith if he can cuddle him?

"Sorry, sorry, that must've been weird," Hunk says, voice quick as the warm hand slowly starts to move from his head, "I-- I think I should go--"

"No, wait! Wait, it's okay. I-- it's fine. You can."

"Really?" 

And Hunk sounds so excited, and happy, and... just,  _joyful_ , that even if Keith wanted to, he wouldn't be able to say no.

* * *

The next time he wakes up, it's not to anything scaring him, or anything wet, but to the soft snoring of Hunk and warm arms holding him against a warm body, and eyes that are able to open without itching.

There's a photo of him and Hunk, both sleeping, taped to the wall he's facing.

His face bursts into flames, and the blush grows darker as Hunk mumbles incoherently, holding him tighter and moving closer.

How did Pidge even find  _cameras_?

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> hey quick question;;
> 
> do y'all prefer simplyessa or toribubble? (personally, im starting to prefer toribubble but!! i want opinions, yknow?)
> 
> edit: i had this under toribubble at first, but toribubble do e s not hav e a s many loyal followers as my main, so, guess we're back to posting on here!! if you want fluff, though, i think toribubble will be my fluff account <3


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